A study of nearly 1,600 drug users on the Downtown Eastside found that people who use multiple stimulants daily cost the justice system thousands of dollars a month, and that currently available drug treatment programs do not reduce the costs of crime.

A UBC research scientist from the Faculty of Medicine says policy makers need to pay attention to the realities of B.C.'s preexisting cannabis industry as they consider the implications of legal cannabis in the province.

An umbrella group of Vancouver businesses owners has issued a call for an expansion of controversial harm-reduction programs, including prescription heroin and other ways for addicts to access clean drugs.